Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoCHUCK MYERS | MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERSCrew defender Waylon Francis, left, and D.C. United’s Sean Franklin vie for a ball in the air in the second half of the Crew’s 3-0 win on Saturday.

Crew view

The Gregg Berhalter era could not have gotten off to a better start. Opening on the road against
an also-rebuilt D.C. United, the Crew got an early goal from Jairo Arrieta and two more from
Federico Higuain and suffocated the United attack in a decisive 3-0 victory. The win is only the
Crew’s third when opening the season on the road and served as an early indicator that a strong
preseason was more than just a blip on the radar. Now, about that TV deal …

Big start

It was just one goal, but the impact of having Arrieta find the back of the net in the opening
game might be hard to overstate. His story is well-known to Crew fans — nine goals in 18 games in
2012 before slumping to three in 26 appearances last season — but re-signing Arrieta was the only
move the Crew made to address the forward position. A prolonged slump to open 2014 could have
permanently torpedoed Arrieta’s stay here, but now the Costa Rican has early confidence under his
belt. If Arrieta can return to anything close to his 2012 form, it will be a major boost to the
Crew attack — especially with Dominic Oduro coming back after a one-game suspension to open the
season.

Captain(s)

Berhalter rotated captains throughout the preseason but said he would have only one when the
season began. Friday, he stuck to his word — with a twist. Defender Michael Parkhurst was named
team captain, with 21-year-old Wil Trapp serving as vice captain. “I thought it was important to
put Wil in a position where he is groomed to eventually do something like that,” Berhalter said. “
He has great leadership qualities. Even though he’s (the youngest player) on the team, people
respect him.” In essence, expect Trapp to be captain when Parkhurst is away on national-team duty
or otherwise unavailable.

Keeper Clark

After a duel that stretched throughout the preseason, Berhalter went with offseason acquisition
Steve Clark as the starting goalkeeper over Matt Lampson. Both players saw equal time during the
preseason, but Berhalter said whomever won the job would be afforded a long stretch before any
changes would be discussed. In his Crew debut, Clark made one save while recording the shutout. “
The level is what I thought it was: solid,” Clark said of his MLS debut after spending the past
four seasons in Norway. “It’s a good start, but you can’t hang your hat on week one.”

Television

Two days before the season began, the Crew announced a two-year deal with Time Warner Cable
SportsChannel, with an option for a third. The move from Fox Sports Ohio means expanded programming
covering the team but limits broadcasts to those who subscribe to Time Warner Cable. The move was
widely panned by fans, who besieged the team’s social-media platforms to express their displeasure.
President Mark McCullers posted a letter to fans on the team’s website addressing the situation,
and the Crew invited season-ticket holders to the stadium to watch the opener as the front office
shifted into damage-control mode. But it will take more than free pizza and beer to turn this into
a positive for most Crew fans.

Digital

8: Penalty-kick goals by Federico Higuain, tied for third-most in Crew history.

18: Career goals by Higuain, 11th-most in Crew history.

18: Different players who have scored opening-day goals for the Crew, after Arrieta joined the
list.

Quotable

“They’re having fun, I’m having fun. I get to play this, what, 10 years max? Hopefully 15 if I’m
lucky? Why not have fun with them? They’re here to watch us play and I want to give them anything
they need back.” — Clark, on dancing on the field as the Crew supporters’ section chanted and sang
after the game.